The search for Akron's best burger: The Rail Burger Bar, Fairlawn, OH

BURGERGUYZ:

The search for Akron’s best burger

The Rail Burger Bar

By Don Johnson

This month’s excursion led our group to The Rail which is located at the Summit Mall in Fairlawn. The Rail touts locally sourced burgers. On the menu at $7.75 is the “Classic Burger”. This is a basic ½ lb. beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato and pickle on a fresh baked bun. Cheese is another buck, but you have a selection of mustard, mayo, red onion or spinach at no extra charge.

The Rail has nine “signature” burgers that range in price from $7.75 to $11.25. There is a selection of “extra” condiments that range in price from .50 for items such as grilled mushrooms or sautéed onions up to $1.00 for cheese. “Specialty” condiments range from $1.50 for items such as thick bacon or a fried organic egg up to $3.50 for the addition of truffle butter. Sides include skinny fries, onion ring and house made chips. There are enough options that any burger eater should find something for their taste buds. Adding all the condiments would make for an interesting and expensive burger.

I, and several other of the guys, have been here before. This gave us an opportunity to confirm the consistency in the quality of The Rail’s food. At my first outing, I ordered “The Tourist”. You can read about it here: http://tastycleveland.com/blog1.php/the-rail-fairlawn-oh . This time, I ordered the “Bon Fire”, cooked medium, with a side of the home made chips. This burger comes topped with a medley of jalapeno peppers, pepper-jack cheese and sriracha chili sauce.

The meal arrived in the most basic of presentations; a fully dressed burger and chips sitting in a paper lined basket. However, we were not here for frills. What is important was that the first and subsequent bites into the burger produced a warm, pleasant pepper flavor. The above average bun held the ingredients well against the patty. My patty was cooked much closer to well than medium; still it had a pleasant, juicy beef flavor enhanced with just a little char. The house made chips were plentiful, cut thick and very crunchy.

This was an enjoyable burger and chips combination. The quality of this food was equal to the quality of the food at my first visit. Others in the group also enjoyed their burgers. There’s no question that all of us will keep The Rail on the return list.